All about the Poland Team at Football World Cup 2018
Poland qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup from European Group E, where they finished ahead of Denmark. Over the course of their 10 matches, they won eight, drew one and lost just one, scoring an impressive 28 goals, but conceding 14. Their last appearance at a major tournament saw the team reach the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016, where they were beaten by the eventual tournament winners, Portugal, via a penalty shootout. Although they will be considered an outside pick to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup, their chances will be aided by the presence of Robert Lewandowski, who was the top scorer in the European qualifiers, with 16 goals.
Tips for Betting on Poland in the World Cup 2018
In terms of betting on Poland in the FIFA World Cup, the team have been drawn alongside a relatively strong Colombia team, as well as Senegal and Japan. The most attractive outright bet is likely for Poland to beat Senegal on 19th June 2018, with odds currently standing at 5/4 (2.25).
Throughout qualifying, Poland averaged 2.8 goals per game and conceded an average of 1.4 goals per game. The odds of 3 or more goals in the Poland vs. Colombia match currently stand at 11/10 (2.10).
Given his performance in qualifying, Robert Lewandowski may be a strong contender to finish as the tournament’s top goalscorer, and his odds currently stand at 25/1 (26.00). The reason for the odds being so long is the fact that Poland are considered unlikely to reach the later stages of the tournament, but punters who think they will emerge from their group may wish to consider this as a bet, as it has big-money potential.
Finally, Poland finished their qualifying campaign with a relatively low number of yellow cards, emerging from their 3-2 win over Denmark with just one yellow card and collecting no cards at all during their 3-0 win over Romania. Therefore, it is sensible on a match-by-match basis to back a low number of yellow cards.
Betting Odds on Poland to Win the World Cup 2018
Poland’s odds of winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup currently stand at 40/1 (41.00), which makes them an outside choice. Most bookmakers have them outside of their top 10 most likely winners, ranking behind the likes of Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, England, Portugal, Uruguay and the hosts, Russia. However, despite this, their impressive performance in qualifying may catch the eye of some punters.
Expected Poland Lineup at the World Cup
When assessing the expected team sheet for Poland at the World Cup, it is sensible to look at their last competitive game. Poland’s line-up for the their final World Cup qualifier, a 4-2 victory over Montenegro, was as follows:
Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Michał Pazdan, Bartosz Bereszyński, Krzysztof Mączyński, Robert Lewandowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Kamil Grosicki, Kamil Glik, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Piotr Zieliński and Łukasz Piszczek.
Aside from those names, the players who are most likely to find their way into the team’s starting 11 for their opening World Cup match include Karol Linetty, Artur Jędrzejczyk, Thiago Cionek and Maciej Rybus. All of those players featured prominently during the team’s successful qualification campaign.
Meanwhile, Łukasz Fabiański is highly likely to feature in the squad as the team’s second choice goalkeeper, with Maciej Makuszewski and Arkadiusz Milik also ranking as likely inclusions. Among the names that could then complete the squad are Łukasz Skorupski, Jarosław Jach, Tomasz Kędziora, Łukasz Teodorczyk and Arkadiusz Milik.
Poland operate a 3-4-3 formation, which they hope will provide them with some defensive stability on which to build their attacking play. However, the team conceded 14 goals during qualifying; the highest of all the group winners.
In goal, Wojciech Szczęsny is likely to start the tournament, with the Juventus goalkeeper being preferred to his former Arsenal team-mate, Łukasz Fabiański, and Roma’s Łukasz Skorupski in recent times.
The defence will consist of three centre-backs, as well as two wing backs who will be given a license to attack. Kamil Glik, Michał Pazdan and Thiago Cionek will likely make up the back three, with Łukasz Piszczek or Bartosz Bereszyński operating in the right wing-back position. Maciej Rybus is most likely to line up on the opposite side.
In centre midfield, Poland are likely to turn to the duo of Grzegorz Krychowiak and Karol Linetty, with Bartosz Bereszyński, Piotr Zieliński and Kamil Grosicki competing for the two wide forward spots.
Leading the attack will be the team’s star player, Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski.
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Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is the team’s best-known player and the Bayern Munich striker was also Poland’s outstanding performer in qualifying, scoring a record-breaking 16 goals over the course of the campaign. He is the national team captain, as well as the side’s all-time leading goalscorer, with more than 50 international goals. Additionally, Lewandowski is widely regarded as one of the most complete centre forward in world football.
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Grzegorz Krychowiak
Grzegorz Krychowiak is another stand-out performer for the side and the midfielder, on loan to West Brom from Paris St. Germain during the 2017-18 season, played every minute for his country during their Euro 2016 campaign. Krychowiak is approaching his 50th cap and was twice named in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season, showing that he has tournament pedigree and the potential to excel on the big stage.
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